2013 Medal of Freedom honorees

President Barack Obama has named the 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients for 2013. They will be honored at a White House ceremony later this year. The medal, which has gone to everyone from Bob Dylan to George H.W. Bush, "is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." (All caption text comes from the White House's official release.)

Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian

C.T. Vivian is a distinguished minister, author, and organizer. A leader in the Civil Rights Movement and friend to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he participated in Freedom Rides and sit-ins across our country. Dr. Vivian also helped found numerous civil rights organizations, including Vision, the National Anti-Klan Network, and the Center for Democratic Renewal. In 2012, he returned to serve as interim President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.